Packaging bag comprising an external packaging

ABSTRACT

A packaging bag ( 10 ) that is made of a flexible film-shaped first material and includes an opening part ( 26 ) which can be cut along a tearing line ( 24 ) extending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the bag as well as an external packaging ( 30 ) made of a substantially dimensionally stable second material. The openings of the tubular external packaging ( 30 ) lie on a plane that runs vertical to the axis of the tube while the end of the bag which protrudes from the external packaging ( 30 ) can be folded inside out over the edge of the external packaging ( 30 ) after cutting the opening part ( 26 ).

The invention concerns a packing bag of a flexible, foil-like first material, with an opening part which is separable along a tear line running transverse to the bag longitudinal direction, and with a substantially form-stable outer packing of a second material.

For portion packing of drinks and/or spoonable products such as e.g. fruit juices, water or soups, rigid or form-stable plastics containers are known, normally produced by 3D thermoforming or injection moulding, with a sealed lid and stiff bag made from plastic laminate. Such packing containers and bags are ecologically harmful because of the increased material required to achieve stability, and also relatively costly. In addition, the packaging as an advertising carrier is usually printed directly and hence in principle there is a risk of migration of undesirable substances to the filling.

The invention is based on the object of creating a packaging for drinks and spoonable products, e.g. fruit juices, water or soups, also for products with liquid and solid constituents or semi-solid products, e.g. animal feeds, which avoids or reduces the disadvantages described above of the packaging according to the prior art.

The object is achieved with a packing bag of the type cited initially in that the openings of the tubular outer packing lie in a plane perpendicular to the tube axis and the bag end protruding from the outer packing, after separation of the opening part, with its inside facing out, can be folded over the edge of the outer packing.

In a preferred embodiment of the packing bag according to the invention, the bag material is a plastics film. To prevent migration of foreign matter to the inside of the bag, the packing bag is not printed.

Preferably, the bag material and outer packing material are mainly mono-materials.

The outer packing material can be any cheap mono-material. A preferred outer packing material is cardboard. The outer packing can be printed as required.

The outer periphery of the bag transverse to the bag longitudinal direction is suitably larger than the inner periphery of the tubular outer packing so that the bag is held in the outer packing by interference fit. Instead of a larger outer periphery, on the bag a separating line can be provided, which is torn when folding over the edge of the outer packing.

The packing bag can have a peelable sealing seam parallel to and at a distance from the tear line. This avoids the filling reaching the top part of the bag prematurely, and when the bag top is folded over the edge of the outer packing, coming into contact with the outside of the opened packing. Alternatively the inside of the packing bag can be coated with a release lacquer.

The cross-sectional shape of the outer packing is usually circular. For reasons of attractive design, the periphery line of the tubular outer packing can also be polygonal, e.g. with 4, 6 or 8 sides.

The dimensions of the packing bag and outer packing can be varied within broad limits. The ratio between diameter or periphery of bag and outer packing depends on the type of use and filling. For a drink filling, the height of the bag will be larger than the diameter. For a semi-solid filling, e.g. animal feed, the base dimension or diameter of the packing will be larger than its height. The packing bag is used merely to serve the filling and need not be cleaned after use.

The stability of the packing bag arises from the outer packing which can also be a beaker or cup. The packing bag itself can be a standing bag without stability, a hose bag or an extruded round bag, The bag material for the packing bag according to the invention can, in comparison with the stiff material required for a standing bag with stability, have a smaller thickness and consequently is economic. The outer packing which is used as a beaker or cup at the same time protects the delicate bag from mechanical damage during transport.

The packing bag is suitable in particular for packing drinks or spoonable fillings and for fillings which can be agitated with fluid into drinks or spoonable fillings. The packing is also suitable for animal feed. Depending on nature of filling, this may also be agitated with fluid e.g. bag soups with hot water, or the filling is already present in liquid or spoonable form, e.g. yoghurt.

For water with and without carbonic acid, the packing system serves to conserve the fluid and also acts as a drinking vessel. For animal feeds and other semi-solid to solid products, the serving function is a substantial advantage.

The food e.g. soup can be heated in the packing bag according to the invention together with the outer packing in the opened state, where applicable after agitation with cold water, directly in a microwave oven.

Usually, individual packing units each comprise a packing bag arranged in an outer packing. It is, however, also possible for a packing unit to comprise for example five packing bags and only one outer packing. Finally, packing bags intended for use with a normal cup can constitute a packing unit even without tubular outer packing.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention arise from the description below of preferred embodiments and the drawing which shows diagrammatically:

FIG. 1 an oblique view of a packing bag;

FIG. 2 an oblique view of a tubular outer packing;

FIG. 3 an oblique view of the packing bag in FIG. 1 inserted in the tubular outer packing of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 an oblique view of the arrangement in FIG. 3 with separate opening part;

FIG. 5 an oblique view of the outer packing of FIG. 4 with bag opening folded over the edge of the outer packing.

A packing bag 10 shown in FIG. 1 in the form of a standing bag of a flexible foil material, e.g. polyamide, has a sealed base 12, a front wall 14 and a rear wall 16. Two longitudinal sealing seams 18, 19 arranged at the sides and defining a bag longitudinal direction l connect the two bag walls 14, 16 protruding from the base 12 and, together with a transverse sealing seam 20 connecting the longitudinal sealing seams 18, 19 at the end remote from the base, form a closed packing bag 10.

The transverse sealing seam 20 at the end of the packing bag 10 remote from the base is part of an opening part 26 that can be separated from the base. To open the packing bag 10, the opening part 26 is torn away along a tear line 24 arranged in the bag walls 14, 16, parallel to and at a short distance from the transverse sealing seam 20. As a tear aid, provided in the longitudinal sealing seams 18, 19 are tear notches 22, 23 with tips ending on the tear line 24.

Below the tear line 24, at a distance from and parallel to the tear line 24, runs a further sealing seam 28 extending over the entire width of the bag walls 14, 16, which seam is however peelable i.e. along this peelable sealing seam 28, after separating the opening part 26, the bag walls 14, 16 can be separated from each other by hand without great force.

FIG. 2 shows a tubular outer packing 30 made from a form-stable material e.g. cardboard, the ends of which lie parallel to each other and vertical to a tube axis z. The outer packing 30 serves to hold the packing bag 10 of FIG. 1.

A packing unit comprising the tubular outer packing 30 with packing bag 10 inserted therein is shown in FIG. 3. The longitudinal direction l of the packing bag 10 lies in the tube axis z of the outer packing 30. The one end of the tubular outer packing 30 serves as a standing surface for the packing unit, so that the packing bag 10 itself need not be formed stable. The packing bag 10 can therefore also be a simple hose bag with one longitudinal seam and two transverse seams.

The tubular outer packing 30 in the example shown is a hollow cylinder but instead of a circular cross-sectional form, another design is also possible. The peripheral line of the tubular outer packing can for example take the form of a regular polygon.

The outer periphery of the packing bag 10 is selected greater than the inner periphery of the outer packing 30. For an outer packing 30 in the form of a hollow cylinder, consequently the inner diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the packing bag 10 formed into a bag with circular cross-section. Also the bag walls 14, 16 for example can be partially attached by way of spot adhesive points 32 to the inside of the outer packing 30. The distance a of the peelable sealing seam 28 from the tear line 24 is selected so that the peelable sealing seam 28 protrudes slightly from the outer packing 30 when the packing bag 10 is inserted in the outer packing 30.

After tearing away the opening part 26, the peelable sealing seam 28 is separated by pulling apart the free ends of the bag walls 14, 16 and the bag thus completely opened (FIG. 4). Then the part of the opened packing bag 10 protruding from the outer packing 30 is folded over the outer packing 30 (FIG. 5). In this process the insides of the bag walls 14, 16 are turned towards the outside, giving a perfectly hygienic opening area.

The process of folding over the edges is made easier by the fact that the outer periphery of the packing bag 10 is larger than the inner periphery of the outer packing 30. Alternatively or additionally, the longitudinal sealing seams 18, 19 of the part of the packing bag 10 protruding from the outer packing 30 are designed to be peelable. In this case on folding back the bag walls 14, 16, at the same time a partial or complete separation occurs of the longitudinal sealing seams in this area.

The peelable sealing seam 28 prevents the penetration of filling into the area between the peelable sealing seam 28 and the tear line 26 in the unopened packing bag 10, so that even after opening of the bag no filling adheres to the part of the bag protruding from the outer packing 30 and turned towards the outside when folded back.

On folding the bag part protruding from the outer packing 30 over the opening edge of the outer packing 30, a beaker is produced with a perfectly hygienic opening area which can safely be brought directly to the mouth. 

1. A packing bag of a flexible foil-like first material, with an opening part (26) which is separable along a tear line (24) running transverse to a bag longitudinal direction (l), and with a substantially form-stable outer packing (30) of a second material, the openings of the tubular outer packing (30) lie in a plane perpendicular to the tube axis (z) and the bag end protruding from the outer packing (30), after separation of the opening part (26), with its inside facing out, can be folded over the edge of the outer packing (30).
 2. The packing bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag material and the outer packing material are mainly mono-materials.
 3. The packing bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag material is a plastics film.
 4. The packing bag according to claim 1, wherein the packing bag (10) is unprinted.
 5. The packing bag according to claim 1, wherein the outer packing material is cardboard.
 6. The packing bag according to claim 1, wherein the outer packing (30) is printed.
 7. The packing bag according to claim 1, wherein the outer periphery of the bag (10) transverse to the bag longitudinal direction (l) is greater than the inner periphery of the tubular outer packing (30) so that the bag (10) is held in the outer packing (30) by interference fit.
 8. The packing bag according to claim 1, wherein the packing bag (10) has a peelable sealing seam (28) parallel to and at a distance (a) from the tear line (24).
 9. The packing bag according to claim 1, wherein the packing bag (10) is attached to the inner wall of the outer packing (30) by spot adhesive points (32).
 10. The packing bag according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional form of the outer packing (30) is circular or polygonal.
 11. The packing bag according to claim 1, wherein the packing bag (10) is a stand bag or a hose bag.
 12. A process comprising utilizing a packing bag (10) according to claim 1 for packing drinks or spoonable fillings and for animal feed.
 13. A process comprising utilizing a packing bag (10) according to claim 1 for packing fillings that can be agitated with fluid into drinks or spoonable products.
 14. The packing bag according to claim 2, wherein the bag material is a plastics film.
 15. The packing bag according to claim 3, wherein the packing bag (10) is unprinted.
 16. The packing bag according to claim 14, wherein the packing bag (10) is unprinted.
 17. The packing bag according to claim 16, wherein the outer packing material is cardboard.
 18. The packing bag according to claim 17, wherein the outer packing (30) is printed.
 19. The packing bag according to claim 18, wherein the outer periphery of the bag (10) transverse to the bag longitudinal direction (l) is greater than the inner periphery of the tubular outer packing (30) so that the bag (10) is held in the outer packing (30) by interference fit.
 20. The packing bag according to claim 19, wherein the packing bag (10) has a peelable sealing seam (28) parallel to and at a distance (a) from the tear line (24).
 21. The packing bag according to claim 20, wherein the packing bag (10) is attached to the inner wall of the outer packing (30) by spot adhesive points (32).
 22. The packing bag according to claim 21, wherein the cross-sectional form of the outer packing (30) is circular or polygonal.
 23. The packing bag according to claim 22, wherein the packing bag (10) is a stand bag or a hose bag.
 24. A process comprising utilizing a packing bag (10) according to claim 23 for packing drinks or spoonable fillings and for animal feed.
 25. A process comprising utilizing a packing bag (10) according to claim 23 for packing fillings that can be agitated with fluid into drinks or spoonable products. 